April Austin leads her children, Jasmine Austin, 6, and Solomon Austin, 4, into John P. Parker School in Madisonville on Sept. 14, 2018. She takes her two older children to Withrow University High School before dropping off the two younger ones. Albert Cesare / The Enquirer

Gerald Bouldin, 12, carries cardboard boxes for his mother at their rented house on McMicken Avenue in Over-the-Rhine on Sept. 14, 2018. April Austin and her four children stayed at the rented house for two months before they were asked to pay $1,000 a month in rent. "It smelled of mold, and you could tell people were doing drugs like crack cocaine. I grew up in a household (like that), so I knew what it smelled like, as well as cigarettes. It was all in the walls, like the walls smelled of cigarettes," she said. Albert Cesare / The Enquirer

April Austin packs her family's belongings on Sept. 14, 2018. Jasmine Austin, 6, watches her mother. "I'm persevering, I'm a go-getter, I'm going to do whatever I have to do to take care of my children," she said. "If I have to clean this house and paint, I got paint and everything, then that's what I'm going to do so my children can have stable housing, because I really wanted them to have that." Albert Cesare / The Enquirer

Solomon Austin attempts to look inside a box while his mother packs their belongings on Sept. 14, 2018, at their temporary residence in Over-the-Rhine. "I'm not about to pay $1,000 for something that's not worth a $1,000," she said. Albert Cesare / The Enquirer

April Austin embraces her daughter Jasmine Austin, 6, as she wakes her up to get her ready for school at the Extended Stay America hotel in Springdale on Sept. 19, 2018. Austin and her four children stayed in the two-bed hotel room for five days while trying to obtain other housing. Albert Cesare / The Enquirer

Vitamin D prescribed to Genea Bouldin, 17, rests on the desk at an Extended Stay America hotel in Springdale on Sept. 19, 2018. The vitamins were prescribed to address a deficiency. Albert Cesare / The Enquirer

Solomon Austin, 4, plays with toys on Oct. 10, 2018, at the house of a family friend in Forest Park, where April Austin and her four children stayed rent-free for a month while awaiting a permanent housing solution. Albert Cesare / The Enquirer

April Austin prepares a frozen pizza for Solomon Austin, 4, at the home of a family friend in Forest Park on Oct. 10, 2018. She and her four children stayed there for a month through the end October while waiting for a house to be ready in Madisonville. Albert Cesare / The Enquirer

Solomon Austin, 4, watches television on Nov. 27, 2018, on the floor next to a pile of personal items his family has yet to unpack. It is the fourth place the family has lived since school started in August. Albert Cesare / The Enquirer

Genea Bouldin, 18, carries a box of chips from inside the rented house in Madisonville to the family van March 21, 2019, before a drive to Cleveland for her surgery. Albert Cesare / The Enquirer

April Austin grabs drinks for her children from a convenience store before the family's drive to Cleveland on March 21, 2019. Albert Cesare / The Enquirer

April Austin sorts her family's clothing at a local laundry in Fairfax on March 21, 2019. Albert Cesare / The Enquirer

April Austin buys her children and herself matching shoes once a year. For 2019, the shoes are blue Air Jordans. Albert Cesare / The Enquirer

Nurse Kathy McClish checks the heartbeat of April Austin's baby during a prenatal appointment March 21, 2019, in Forest Park. April said she became pregnant while trying to reconcile with her estranged husband, Brandon Austin. Albert Cesare / The Enquirer

April Austin plays with her daughter, Jasmine, 6, at the Ronald McDonald House in Cleveland on March 22, 2019. The family stayed there while Genea Bouldin underwent breast reduction surgery at Cleveland Clinic. Albert Cesare / The Enquirer

Jasmine Austin, 6, touches her mother's pregnant belly in the waiting room of the Cleveland Clinic on March 22, 2019. Jasmine said she felt the baby kick. Albert Cesare / The Enquirer

April Austin comforts her daughter, Genea Bouldin, 18, after surgery at Cleveland Clinic on March 22, 2019. Albert Cesare / The Enquirer

Jasmine Austin embraces her mother, April Austin, on March 23, 2019. Jasmine broke into tears when she was told that her big sister had to stay another night in the hospital following her breast reduction surgery at Cleveland Clinic. Albert Cesare / The Enquirer

April Austin cries alone in her used minivan April 4, 2019, outside of their Madisonville home after a tire blew. She didn't want her children to see her desperation. "I don't know what I'm going to do, I can't afford a new tire," she said. Albert Cesare / The Enquirer

Genea Bouldin, 18, lifts her brother Solomonduring the Withrow University High School Bridge Walk celebration of graduates on May 16, 2019. Albert Cesare / The Enquirer

Galileo Austin, one week old, sleeps in a bassinet under the watchful eye of his brother Solomon on May 22, 2019. Galileo is April Austin's fifth child, and the third child from her second marriage. Albert Cesare / The Enquirer

April Austin holds her newborn, Galileo Austin, while son Solomon Austin rests his hand on her arm on May 22, 2019, in Madisonville. Albert Cesare / The Enquirer

Genea Bouldin's cap rests on a desk before her graduation on May 22, 2019, in the family's rented house in Madisonville. Albert Cesare / The Enquirer

April Austin and her children, Genea Bouldin, 18; Gerald Bouldin, 12; Jasmine Austin, 6; Solomon Austin, 5; and Galileo Austin, one week; pose for a family portrait on May 24, 2019. Despite homelessness and health problems Genea Bouldin graduated from Withrow University High School. Albert Cesare / The Enquirer

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